Alfred on Fonera 2.0

I put the first RC for the Fonera 2.0 on one of my boxes just this morning and I must say that I’m quite impressed. One of the key advantages of the Fonera 2.0, compared against former Foneras, is it’s USB 2.0 port, which in the 2.2.0.0 release now can be used for e. g. an USB stick for 3G networks and connect to the internet via 3G instead of an wired network.
While I doubt that sharing 3G bandwidth instead of one’s DSL connection makes sense to most users (at least in Germany, most 3G “flatrates” only include a traffic of 5 to 10 GB per month), it is now possible to set up a WLAN access point with a 3G uplink with the Fonera 2.0.
Unfortunately, there is currently no way to drop the 3G connection except by either un-powering the Fonera or unplugging the USB stick; the latter has to be done while the stick is still in use. Based on experience an x86 machines, unplugging an USB device that is still in use usually harms confuses the USB subsystem in one or the other way — I would rather like to see a way to stop the pppd driving the 3G connection before unplugging the USB stick …